Free response
Encyclopedia
Free response is a type of question used in tests in education
, workplace, and government
. Most free response questions ask or require the test-taker to state a belief, opinion, or write a short essay and support it with facts, examples, or other evidence. However, few tests solely rely on these types of problems, and tend to work in conjunction with other types, such as multiple choice
. Free response questions generally test more than straight knowledge and ask for a "big picture" type of response (see example). Also, they usually allow the taker to choose an area in which they are familiar.
Supporters argue that this type of question on tests is that it gives a better indication of the competence and intelligence of the test taker than other more standardized responses, which are claimed to often only measure test-taking ability. However, critics charge that the quality of a free response answer is often determined more by ability with the language in which it is given than competence or intelligence.
format—illustrates all points)
Choose two of the following areas and write a well-developed essay in which you analyze change over time and continuities on how technological advances affected the regions between 1914 and 1945:
Example thesis from 2007 AP World Student for change over time essay:
Significant cultural ideologies such as Communism and Stalinism became the leading factors toward political and cultural change in the Soviet Union throughout 1914-1945. Ultimately, none of these changes were able to improve the standard of living for the working classes of Russia, which ironically had been the goal of the Russian Revolution in the first place.
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, workplace, and government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. Most free response questions ask or require the test-taker to state a belief, opinion, or write a short essay and support it with facts, examples, or other evidence. However, few tests solely rely on these types of problems, and tend to work in conjunction with other types, such as multiple choice
Multiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
. Free response questions generally test more than straight knowledge and ask for a "big picture" type of response (see example). Also, they usually allow the taker to choose an area in which they are familiar.
Supporters argue that this type of question on tests is that it gives a better indication of the competence and intelligence of the test taker than other more standardized responses, which are claimed to often only measure test-taking ability. However, critics charge that the quality of a free response answer is often determined more by ability with the language in which it is given than competence or intelligence.
Example
(In normal Advanced Placement examAdvanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
format—illustrates all points)
Choose two of the following areas and write a well-developed essay in which you analyze change over time and continuities on how technological advances affected the regions between 1914 and 1945:
- China
- United States
- Russia (Soviet Union)
- Middle East
Example thesis from 2007 AP World Student for change over time essay:
Significant cultural ideologies such as Communism and Stalinism became the leading factors toward political and cultural change in the Soviet Union throughout 1914-1945. Ultimately, none of these changes were able to improve the standard of living for the working classes of Russia, which ironically had been the goal of the Russian Revolution in the first place.
Famous free response tests
- SATSATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
(also multiple choiceMultiple choiceMultiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
) - PSAT (also multiple choiceMultiple choiceMultiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
) - APAdvanced Placement ProgramThe Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
(also multiple choiceMultiple choiceMultiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
) - GREGraduate Record ExaminationThe Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States, in other English-speaking countries and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide...
(also multiple choiceMultiple choiceMultiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
)